Last year on WPT’s University Place, researchers from the University of Wisconsin-Madison outlined their search for the missing remains of United States Army Private Lawrence Gordon who was killed in action at Normandy in World War II.
Through their work, his remains have been found and positively identified in France and are arriving in Wisconsin Wednesday afternoon with a full escort of honor guards, the Wisconsin State Patrol and Wisconsin Patriot Guard Riders for a forensic examination that will further help his family learn more about how he perished in battle.
Private Gordon will then travel to his final resting place in Saskatchewan.
Okay, I know we are months away from getting the chance to re-enter the world of Masterpiece: Downton Abbey when an all-new season arrives on Wisconsin Public Television. And, it might be cruel to remind us all that we have to wait so long.
But, I just love any little inside tidbit about the making of the show and this week our friends at PBS gave us one of those little tidbits.
Lights… Camera… Action! A quick snapshot from the set. Hurry up, guys. Get it done and make it great!
Today, BBC Radio listeners heard actor Benedict Cumberbatch read the original 8 a.m. news report that was broadcast 70 years ago on D-Day.
The original news bulletin offered the first warning to many Europeans that the D-Day invasion had begun. Throughout the day, the BBC will air several original D-Day bulletins read by the Masterpiece Mystery! “Sherlock” star and fellow actor Patrick Stewart. Listen to the recording below, and visit The Guardian for the full story.
This week on Director’s Cut, I have the pleasure of talking to director Lev Anderson about his documentary, “Everyday Sunshine: The Story of Fishbone.” This is an insightful look at a fascinating band that burst onto the L.A. punk scene in the early ’80’s and is one of my favorite films of this season.
I had pretty much forgotten about this band and wasn’t all that familiar with their work to begin with, other than a couple of their hits. Although they never reached mega stardom, Fishbone influenced other bands including the Red Hot Chili Peppers, No Doubt and Ice-T. Anderson and co-director Chris Metzler nabbed interviews with all of them. See how Lev got these A-List musicians to talk in this quick clip from the interview.
What I was most impressed with was this directing duo rose to the challenge of creating a doc that matches the energy of the subject. Fishbone was a high intensity live act and, as Lev confirms in the interview, one never knew what to expect at one of their concerts.
“Everyday Sunshine” uses animation reminiscent of Fat Albert to tell the story of how these impressionable musicians were exposed to punk when they were bussed to school in the San Fernando Valley during a racially turbulent time in L.A. Anderson and Metzler pepper in the perfect amount of interviews with band members to compliment some high octane concert footage. Laurence Fishburne narrates the documentary and nails it.
Before making the leap into the movie biz, Southern California native Anderson worked in urban planning. He also has a Wisconsin connection, having attended Beloit College. He’s an even-keeled guy whom I suspect brought the perfect temperament for shooting a film with an energetic yet chaotic band like Fishbone. You don’t want to miss this interview or the movie in its entirety that follows. So bring some sunshine to your Friday night on Wisconsin Public Television!
The film and theater world lost a talented voice in February with the early death of Philip Seymour Hoffman. But even though he is gone, his work - and words - live on through his films and now through this new animated short from PBS Digital Studios.
Their Blank on Blank Web video series, which has already animated archival interviews with Johnny Cash, Kurt Cobain, Janis Joplin and more now posthumously recreated this poignant interview with Philip Seymour Hoffman from two years before his death.
